Controlled Burn
by ice shredder
Summary: Armed with a fresh outlook and determination, Yang hits the road in search of Ruby, her father's lessons ringing in her ears. But her newfound confidence and skills will be put to the ultimate test as she must fight through her trauma and PTSD while confronting the sources of her deepest fears and pain. Sequel to 'Rekindled Spark'. 'T' for safety. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Controlled Burn**

 **Fandom: RWBY**

 **Author: Risa**

 **Disclaimer: everything belongs to RT and Monty.**

 **Warnings/Spoilers: All of V5 is fair game. But here's the deal. Since I refuse to torture myself and re-watch the total clusterfail this volume was-Yang's thoughts/feelings and how she internally reacts to the people and environment around her-are only going to be portrayed through brief snapshot chapters. Sorry folks. Unless Miles and Kerry decide to get their act together and take this hiatus to FIX most of the flaws that has plagued the show since the end of V3, I am approaching V6 with extreme caution. Which is sad, because I enjoy writing fiction for this show. Lazy, cliched writing pisses me off and I know M &K can be SO much better.**

 **Anyway, this is gonna be the third installment in this little yet-to-be named mini-series. Dunno if I'm gonna be going farther due to how terrible V5 was on all levels. I'm only giving them one more volume to turn things around. That's it.**

 **Enjoy, and as always, review!**

 **Summary: Armed with a fresh outlook and determination, Yang hits the road in search of Ruby, her father's lessons ringing in her ears. But her newfound confidence and skills will be put to the ultimate test as she must fight through her trauma and PTSD while confronting the sources of her deepest fear and pain. Sequel to 'Rekindled Spark'.**

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The sun beamed down brightly on the ship, warming the wooden deck as a steady, pleasant sea breeze kept things comfortable. Passengers-human and faunus alike-strolled the upper deck of the _Pride_ dressed in loose, summer clothing enjoying the gorgeous day.

Yang hardly noticed, lounging against the steel bulkhead near the stern of the ship, aviators snugly in place as she kept a watchful eye on Bumblebee parked less than two feet from where she stood. Sure, the blonde could've removed her sleek leather jacket due to the heat, but the breeze was stiff enough that she decided to let things be. It was too much of a hassle anyway and she didn't feel like moving.

Lilac eyes hidden by her glasses, Yang gazed out over the ocean. It had been almost a week since she left Patch behind. She knew the second she stepped foot on the _Pride_ there was no running back home when things got dicey. She was on her own. Tai wouldn't be there every day in her ear, encouraging her, strengthening her.

For some weird reason, she briefly wondered if he'd want to come with her, but logic kicked that line of thought to the curb. Vale still needed strong Hunters of her dad's caliber to hold down the defenses. Sure, Glynda and the others might be repairing Beacon, but there was a lot of Grimm to deal with and that Dragon was probably still there. To Yang, reclaiming the school she considered her second home, it was a pointless waste of time. But to each their own.

She glanced down at the object clutched in her left hand. It was a picture of team RWBY taken during a much more carefree, simpler time. A time filled with classes and team projects. A time when they were slowly growing closer as a unit, both on and off the battlefield. A time of school dances and special trips to downtown Vale on their down time.

A time when their team was together, and her body was whole and Pyrrha and Penny were still alive, and their school wasn't in ruins and everyone wasn't scattered to the four corners of Remnant, each with his or her private and very _personal_ battles to fight.

Ruby was smiling from ear to ear. Weiss had a semi-frown on her face. Blake was stiff with Yang's arm thrown around her shoulder, a red heart drawn between them. That heart represented Yang's love for her team and her willingness to protect them from anything and anyone who would _dare_ to harm them.

Now she was warier. More cautious. More emotionally volatile. Her heart had got trampled on in the worst possible way. Blake might've run away almost a year ago, but the wound inflicted by her abandonment still stung fresh. Yang wasn't sure if she was going to forgive the cat faunus for doing that, no matter how hard her sister begged. She tore her gaze away from the photo and its painful memories it dredged up. The fire simmered in her gut, instead of giving into the impulse to turn and leave a huge dent in the wall behind her, Yang tucked the picture back into her jeans pocket. Resumed staring at the waves passing beneath the hull of the ship.

Some wounds ran too deep to fully heal with time.

 **TBC…**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Special shout out to** **ServeItSam** **for the kind review.**

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Finally, she was here.

Yang wheeled her bike with care down the _Pride's_ gangway one of many to debark as others streamed past her to board giving her a slight berth. She ignored their curious stares as Bumblebee's wheels touched down on Mistral's sandy coastline. Shops and people of all different cultures-some wearing robes and tunics, others (females especially) in colorful skirts and crop tops with a curious diamond cutout pattern around the neck, baring midriffs and leaving nothing to the imagination.

Vendors hawked their wares, shouting out prices and inviting the passerby to try them out. Exotic looking food of all types beckoned to come and sample their delicious mouth-watering tastes. Some sold beautiful hand-crafted clothing while others sold weapons for cheap prices.

If Yang had been in a more relaxed state, she might've lost herself in the sights and sounds of the seaside village. But she was focused on one goal: finding Ruby and reuniting with her and Qrow. That was all that mattered to the bruiser.

She hopped on Bumblebee and without sparing a glance at the booths or people crowded there, she revved the engine and took off.

It wasn't long before she found the path that would lead her to Haven and her sister. But that was still many miles away and she had plenty of daylight to burn.

Soon, the sight of the village faded the further she traveled into the forest lining the dirt path en route to the Academy. _Kinda reminds me of Patch._ She thought noting the stillness of the trees and the chirping of birdsong as she zoomed along at a steady pace. _It's nice._

Yang found her mind wandering back to when she first started training Ruby in the art of fisticuffs in the weeks leading up to her leaving for Beacon. It brought a bittersweet smile to her lips as she recalled the smaller girl whining that she wasn't cut out for hand to hand combat, a complaint that she easily overrode. She wanted to make sure her little sister could handle herself should something bad happen and she wasn't there to intervene.

It was just as well she insisted. Ruby had just awkwardly bobbed and blocked a flurry of fists, using her speed to dodge a knockdown strike into the bushes. But they were both still growing into their powers and Ruby carried into the trees a tad too far.

Unfortunately, her sister's panic invited a Grimm. An alpha Beowulf to be exact.

And Yang was prepared to take it on. Anything to keep it away from Ruby.

She recalled how fast and hard the adrenaline pumped through her veins firing haphazard shots with Ember Celica, her movements jerky and unpolished, still trying to get the hang of the shotgun gauntlets. It was working though. The Alpha's roars hurt her ears, but she couldn't let up. She'd die before letting something bad happen to her baby sister-

 _Wham!_

Fed up with the young novice Huntress' antics, the Alpha shrugged off her attempt to deadlift it off its feet and punched her clear across the sparring grounds into the trees. Trunks snapped asunder as Yang plowed through them full speed before crunching to a halt.

That's when Ruby popped out of the treeline, a bit dazed. Then she spotted the Alpha.

Her panicked gasp drew its attention and with a deafening roar, charged the smaller girl with a full head of steam. Ruby froze, putting her hands up but it was a weak defense. Unlike her big sister, she wasn't built like a tank.

She was going to die.

The Alpha leaped into the air, jaws distended ready to devour the helpless girl when a streak of yellow blurred across her vision.

Yang pushed her body as fast as her gauntlets would allow, jumping right into the Grimm's path. _Gotta save Ruby, gotta save Ruby, save Ruby, SAVE HER, NOW!_

Straight into its slobbering mouth.

She felt her aura break as the Alpha clamped down on her torso shaking her roughly before spitting her out. Heard Ruby cry her name as she flew.

Suddenly, the fire simmering in her veins blazed into an inferno. Her eyes snapped open, revealing blood-red irises.

 _Die you bastard!_ She mentally shrieked as she launched herself off the trunk of a tree, firing a pair of shots from Ember Celica. Screamed like a mad woman as she buried her fist in the Alpha's paw so hard she felt and heard the creature's foreleg break. The force of the blow sent it sailing, disintegrating as it went. Yang was thrown in the opposite direction, hitting the ground hard and bouncing till she hit the back of a tree.

Half-dazed she groggily heard Ruby running over.

 _Yang! Yang! Are you okay? I'm sorry I didn't know what to do without my scythe! I'm sorry!_

She willed herself to move, placing a reassuring hand on the smaller girl's shoulder.

 _It's okay._ She looked up a tired smile tugging at her lips. _I've always got your back, sis._

Yang blinked back to the present, wind blowing though her hair, mouth a grim line. _But I wasn't always there was I? Nope. I sat at home and let Ruby slip through my fingers. I didn't even say goodbye. Or say I loved her back._

She revved the engine, pushing her bike a bit faster. She glanced down at the gas gauge. _Okay. There should be a service station not to far from here. I'll make a quick stop for gas and maybe a water._ She was thirsty. It would do no good if she showed up at Raven's camp dehydrated. She needed to be in peak condition to handle her estranged mother and whatever the bandits threw her way.

 **TBC…**


	3. Chapter 3

The desolate forest road-in Yang's opinion-seemed to go on forever. Like Patch, this part of Mistral was thickly wooded and very remote. But as far as landmass went, Anima's was huge and much more diverse than the tiny island of her birth.

She glanced down briefly at the fuel gage which warned the gas had dropped to three-quarters of a full tank. Much as Yang loved her bike, it was a gas guzzler, built to travel short distances rather than prolonged road trips. It was for this reason she was seeking out Raven's whereabouts. With the knowledge that she possessed-along with her dad and uncle-a personal portal and were the only known persons her mother had bonded with besides the late Summer Rose, she was banking on using that as leverage against the elusive woman. If she had to tear through the entire bandit camp to get what she wanted, then so be it. Ruby and Qrow were her _real_ family, the only ones that really mattered anymore.

The wind blew at a refreshing pace, rippling her long golden hair out like a banner. Just as Yang thought she'd never see an end to the thick foliage, the trees began to thin out. Gradually a large open space hove into view and much to her immense relief a lone service station-complete with gas pumps-loomed ever closer. At last. A terrible thirst burned the back of her throat and she decided to pull over and get a drink. This could be the last stop for a long time.

She pulled into one of the pumps, parked and walked into the station-whose name (ironically enough) was _Just Rite_ to buy a water. _I just want something to drink. So thirsty._

Yang strolled up to the station's entrance. A pair of automatic doors whooshed open to admit her, blowing cool air onto her heated skin.

She casually browsed through the store's selection of goods ranging from food to clothing to vehicle/bike parts and care products to weapon ammunition. In short, the station held everything one would need to go out into the wilderness for a while. But it was the fully stocked bar complete with stools that caught her attention with a stocky middle-aged barkeeper cleaning a shot glass.

Yang sidled up to the spotless counter body language deceptively calm, ready for anything.

And that was when she realized she wasn't alone.

An unsavory man dressed in a cutoff maroon shirt with heavy jeans and vest decided he wanted to try his luck hitting on the pretty blond with the lilac eyes.

Big mistake.

Yang seized his wrist with bone-crushing force. Let the punk see the fire burning in her eyes as they shone blood red a cold, neutral expression on her face that lasted a full three seconds before she buried her metal fist into his cheek.

The sheer force of the impact sent him bouncing around the store like a pinball before he flew out the automatic doors to the parking lot outside. Yang swore she saw a tooth fly as she connected. _Good. That'll teach the bastard. No means no._

Yang finished her water then spun on her heel, brushing off the station owner's concern of her going after the Branwen tribe.

"Listen missy. You don't wanna get mixed up with bandits. They're dangerous!"

Yang continued nonchalantly walking toward the exit.

"So I've been told."

Upon reemerging into the bright sunlit morning, she remounted Bumblebee sunglasses firmly in place. Until a movement to her right caught her attention. It was the thug she'd punched the living hell out of just a few moments ago.

"Hey blondie. I heard you were…looking for someone."

His sneer (complete with missing front tooth, _hell yeah_ ) made her pause. Wait. How did he-?

"Yeah." Her guard was up. "You could say that."

"Well," he gestured to the back of her bike. "If ya wanna see Miss Raven, I can take you to her."

When she hesitated, he rolled his eyes. "Look, you don't have a damn clue where yer goin'. But if you insist on being… _difficult-_ "

"Alright. You can ride." Yang pulled her shades down, giving him a dead glare. "But keep your hands to yourself or you'll lose more than a tooth next time."

The bandit (whose name she later learned was Shade D. Mann) let out an exasperated breath. _This. Bitch._ He thought, fighting to keep his temper in check. "Of course. Wouldn't dream of it."

The bruiser pointed to Bumblebee's rear seat. "Then let's go."

Moments later the pair roared out of the parking lot, Shade clinging to the underside of the seat, trying to keep his balance while Yang bent forward over the handlebars trying to put as much space between her and the bandit seated behind her.

She hoped the bandit camp wasn't too far.

 **TBC…**


End file.
